Shadow of Revolution
by BioKraze
Summary: The Duellists are in for a surprise from a strange girl with mysterious powers. Light and shadow meld into a strange unification, as Black takes its turn in the cosmic game of power...
1. The Darkened World

Shoujo Kakumei Utena_, its concepts and personalities are copyrighted by Be-Papas. I, _BioKraze, _own nothing save the original plot of this fanfiction and the fancharacter Haruka Yoshikawa. Please ask me first if you wish to use Haruka Yoshikawa in your stories._

The world possessed two faces. An external face and an internal face. Lightside and Darkside. For every check, there is a balance. For every black, there is a white. For every light, there is a shadow. This is the tale of a great game of power, and how it affected both light and dark. The world of Darkside was a dangerous place for life to exist.

Darkside. A barren wasteland devoid of life, where once was a verdant land filled with the sounds of creatures living and dying. A seething, scorching depth of an magma ocean, where once was a crystal blue sea, calm and inviting. Atop a dying island stood a broken citadel, its trees gnarled and struggling to survive. Within this citadel lay a dead forest grove, revealing stark black architecture and ancient mechanisms to control the flow of waters that had long since become molten. Within the centre of the citadel lay a single spire of cold black stone, standing proud despite its dying condition. Within, a shadowed Master moved to a girl.

The girl bore pale skin and long, jet black hair with red highlights. She wore a simple uniform, a blood red skirt with a black dress top. Black shoes and knee length red socks completed the uniform, while a deep purple tie with midnight blue stripes accentuated the chilling outfit. The girl's eyes blazed red with power as she stood before her Master.

The Master spoke to her, never using a name. His voice was cold, distant, almost as if he was well and truly a shadow of some other creature. "You have passed the seven tests, my dear. You are indeed strong enough and worthy enough to make the transition from Darkness to Light. Today, you shall experience a world unlike any you have ever experienced before."

The girl wanted to ask questions, many questions, but remained silent. After all, she knew the cost of defying her Master, and the penalty for transgression was severe indeed. She waited for the shadow of a man to finish his lecture and instruct her in her grand task. Only a score of young women, much like her, had made the journey. Of those twenty slips of young adulthood, only she had survived the terrible trials of Darkside. She had learned respect and patience, along with several other things. She waited.

"The world beyond is an amazing land. It is an infinite pool with island continents. In this world, there exist creatures like us, but physical. They are known in their world as humans. We are known but as devils to them. There exist seven humans, partaking in the cosmic game of power and domination. They play a game they have titled Revolution. They seek power, and power I shall give them..." The dark one paused, collecting his thoughts.

"You shall journey to Lightside and bring the Power of Shadows unto the people I have designated as bearers." Moving silently to a desk, the darkened figure took a small vellum from its resting place and handed it to the girl in black and blood. She studied the names upon the vellum, written in the Master's very blood. What kind of names were these for such strange creatures, these...humans? The Master deigned not to notice the girl's confusion, instead continuing on with his great plan for victory.

"Memorise these names carefully. They will be your final test to see if you belong in Lightside or Darkside. I expect nothing less than total success if the master plan is to come to fruition." He nodded, an imperceptible motion, in her general direction. She took this as her cue to speak.

"How shall I go about achieving my task, O great Master?"

The Master smiled, a thin, cruel smile. From a small bag, he produced seven rings. Each was forged from the mineral which formed in Darkside, and emblazoned with the seal of a moon in its crescent waxing stage.

"You have until the full moon of the crests here to deliver these seals of power to the seven individuals on the scroll. When you have completed this task, I shall summon you back for your next. Do not fail me, and I shall be pleased with your progress. Fail me, and you will never see the red light of night again." The girl nodded, her long hair bobbing ever so slightly as she acknowledged her Master.

"Of course, O great Master. I shall succeed in whatever challenge you present to me."

The Master chuckled, a cold, heartless laugh devoid of humour. "Of course you will succeed, my dear. For there exists nobody now but you to carry out my great task. Some advice before you depart.

"Your...powers...will be greatly limited in Lightside. Until you deliver the seals of power, your skills will be taxed to their utmost. Do not hesitate to use them, but reserve your dark power unless its use is absolutely necessary." He showed her outside, to a crumbling balcony ledge attached, barely, to the broken spire. "Enough. Be off with you!"

The dark girl blinked once, twice, then took a running leap off the edge of the platform. Her hair blew back in the wind of the fall, and soon she knew nothing but a tumbling of body and spirit, as the great power of the Master drew her body from the horrors of Darkside and spirited it away to the great unknown of Lightside...


	2. The Storm of Shadow

The harsh rains lashed at the fair, fanciful architecture of Ohtori Academy and the outlying city with a glaring indifference to the suffering of the people below. The storm had materialised without any warning, and now students walking to their midday classes were quickly seeking shelter from the omen of ill will. The bolts of lightning danced across the underbellies of the black clouds, casting quick flashes of light across the school's walls and fluted pillars.

The dancing bolts struck a lone willow tree, under which many students had engaged in conversations over lunch. The tree was blasted apart by the rage of the lightning, huge splinters of bark and flaming bits of branches flying in the bolt's wake. It was here that the dark girl from the world below found herself, clutching a bloodied scroll of parchment and a black silk bag with seven small rings of ebony and crimson inside. She stood up, heedless of the few students who sought to escape the storm.

The girl looked up. _So this is Lightside,_ she mused. It was a far cry from the terrors of Darkside, and she wondered if she was truly up to the task. Yet she knew almost nothing of this strange place, and so was disoriented. Where to begin her mission in the name of the Master? Picking a direction at random, she walked easily through the pounding rains. The weather did not affect her; instead, it seemed to recognise her nature and avoid her as much as possible. Who was this creature, this girl whom even the weather feared?

The girl still wore her black top and blood red skirt, which seemed to match the styles of the other girls' outfits. But where the dark girl wore black, they wore white. Their green was a striking contrast to her red dress. Their ties were also different, salmon with yellow stripes as opposed to her purple tie with blue stripes. She paid the young humans no heed as she seemed to stalk her way toward the nearest building. A grand mansion of a dormitory, but her dark senses reacted strangely to its occupants. Two of her seven targets lived here. Perhaps she should get to know them, she thought idly. But first, a name. What language did these people speak? The Master never told her, though she had witnessed the reading and writing of many tongues in her short life under Darkside's influence. She decided to listen in on the chattering of two young girls, hiding from the storm under a balcony awning.

"I wonder where this storm came from?" wondered one of the younger girls aloud to her companion.

"I know...usually we get told about these things, you know!" The first girl nodded in acknowledgment.

"Yeah...now only if we could have school off..."

"I know...what a waste!" Suddenly, the dark girl had it. Japanese. A language of the Orient. She knew what her name would be. A name that would not cause too much suspicion, yet would be perfect for her needs during her stay in Lightside. She turned as a striking young man, with flowing red hair and a pristine white suit, placed a single hand on her shoulder. Her senses warned her that this young man was another of her targets. _Best not to rise to the bait,_ the girl thought, but did not speak.

"My dear, surely you seek shelter from this terrible storm like any other young woman? Or are you new here to Ohtori Academy?" The girl memorised the name of the school instantly. She brushed the dashing young man's hand away as she spoke.

"I was disoriented by the storm. They rarely occur here, and quite especially during this time of the year..."

The other chuckled. "Yes, well, the weather has been quite pleasant to us. It only seemed a matter of time before it would go sour." He paused. "My name is Touga Kiryuu, but you may call me Seitokaichou. I don't believe we have met before, miss...?"

"Haruka Yoshikawa. I'm new to this school. I transferred from across the country." The girl spoke the lie as if it were the truth. After all, the life she led in Darkside had taught her how to lie and convince others that it was gospel. The Seitokaichou smiled wider.

"I'm sure we will get to know each other soon enough, Yoshikawa-sama. For now, should we seek shelter from the rain?"

Haruka's tone gained an edge as she spoke. "No, thank you. I think I can do fine for myself, Seitokaichou." With a final brush of her hand, Haruka evaded Touga's advances and moved closer toward the venerable building in which the first two of her crest bearers resided. _With luck and perserverance,_ Haruka thought, _my task shall be done by the week's end..._


End file.
